I recently came across the nine and a half minute epic song The Trapeze Swinger by Iron & Wine at home during a rainy day. I had been told by a friend that in terms of the use of poetry in a song, this modern day classic was perfection. I trust this friend and his taste in music immensely so I opened up Spotify and took a listen.
On first listen, The Trapeze Swinger left me completely cold. The song simply came off as a long winded musical piece with an incredibly repetitive melodic structure. I knew however that there was something great that was hidden in the lyrics. As I listened to the verses (there is no chorus), I realized that the piece was simply too long and poetic to truly comprehend on first listen. This is when the idea of pulling up the lyrics on my computer came to me. I had a hunch that if I looked at the song as a poem, I could find the true beauty in it.
My suspicions turned out to be true and I can now say that I find The Trapeze Swinger to be one of the most moving and haunting songs I have ever heard. Though the song is nearly impossibly to truly grasp, my interpretation is that it tells the story of a man who is dying. He is on his death bed and is recounting a relationship he had with a woman in his past. This woman was the love of his life but for whatever reason, the relationship did not last. Each stanza beings with the phrase “Please, remember me” followed by a story from the past or a statement on the present/future.
While I believe that this song should be read as a poem, here are two of my favorite lines...
But please, remember me fondly
I heard from someone you're still pretty
And then they went on to say
That the pearly gates
Had some eloquent graffiti
My dear, but if I make the pearly gates
I'll do my best to make a drawing
Of God and Lucifer, a boy and girl
An angel kissing on a sinner
The full lyrics are below followed as always by a performance of the song.
